7 Principles
for controlling your diabetes for life:The
following information has been taken from the National Institute of
Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Disease. All the following information
is correct to the best of our knowledge, but should not substitute for
medical care and information provided by your doctor.

To
take good care of your diabetes for life, be sure to follow these 7
principles:

People who have
diabetes and keep their blood sugar levels under control can expect
to live a long and active life.

Principle
1: Find Out What Type of Diabetes You Have

If you have diabetes,
you should know what type you have. If you do not know, ask your doctor
whether you have:

Type
1 diabetes. People who have this type of diabetes need
to take insulin every day. This type of diabetes used to be called juvenile
diabetes.

Type
2 diabetes. This type of diabetes can often be controlled
by the food you eat and regular physical activity. Some people may also
need to take diabetes pills or insulin. This type of diabetes used to
be called adult onset diabetes.

Your doctor may
use some terms that are no longer used to describe diabetes. If your
doctor uses any of these, ask whether you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

Terms that are no
longer used include:

"a touch of
diabetes"
"borderline diabetes"
"sugar's a little high"

Many
People Who Have Diabetes Do Not Know It

Finding and treating
diabetes early can prevent health problems later on. Some people are
at higher risk for diabetes than others. Risk factors for diabetes include:

Being older than
45

Being overweight

Having a close
family member, like a parent, brother, or sister, who has, or had,
diabetes

Having had diabetes
when you were pregnant

Being African
American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian American or Pacific Islander, or
Native American

Find out from
your doctor what type of diabetes you have. If your doctor
describes your diabetes with a term that is no longer used, ask the
doctor whether you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes. If you know
someone who has any of the risk factors for diabetes, tell them to ask
their doctor about getting tested for diabetes.

Mark the statements
that you think are true. People with diabetes should:

Always receive high-quality care.Work
with health care providers to make changes to their treatment plan when
needed.See
a doctor, diabetes educator, or a nutritionist on a regular basis. Be able to get
their health care needs taken care of regardless of their race, age,
disability, or ability to pay. Get support from
family, friends, and co-workers. Be able to get
insurance and a license. Be treated fairly
at work. Be able to get
Medicare to help pay for diabetes supplies if they are on Medicare.

All
of the statements are true.

You have the right
to get the best health care to help you control your diabetes.

Ask
your doctor or nurse how often you need to see them for a check-up.
Write down the
date and time for your next visit:

___________________________________

Ask
your doctor or clinic staff to help you find resources if you have problems
paying for food, medicines, and medical supplies. Make
a list of things you want to talk about at your next visit to the doctor
or clinic.

Principle
3: Learn How to Control Your Diabetes

You and your family
have the right to get correct information from your doctor and other
health care providers to help you learn how to control your diabetes.

How Active
Are You in Controlling Your Diabetes?

Look at the list
below. Check all of the boxes that describe you.

I
ask my doctor for accurate information about my diabetes. I have talked
with my doctor about other people, like a nutritionist and diabetes
educator, who can help me learn to control my diabetes. I ask the diabetes
educator and nutritionist about diet and other ways to control my diabetes.
I talk to my doctor
regularly about my special needs and controlling my diabetes.

If you checked everything
on the list above, you are taking an active role in learning how to
control your diabetes. If you did not check everything on the list,
ask your doctor about things that you should do to learn more about
how to control your diabetes. Learning how to control your diabetes
can help you stay healthy.

Ask your doctor
about where to go to learn more about diabetes and how to control it.

You may need to
test your own blood sugar on a regular basis to help you control your
diabetes.

Talk
with your health care provider about:

What type of
test to use

How to do the
test the right way

How often to
test

How often to
report the test results

Getting the supplies
you need to do the tests. If you get Medicare, it can help pay for
your diabetes supplies.

Hemoglobin
A1c Testing

A hemoglobin A1c
test is done by your doctor. It measures how well your blood sugar has
been controlled over the last 2 to 3 months. This test is very important
because it tells how well you are taking care of your diabetes.

To learn more about
this and other blood sugar tests, you can call 1-800-438-5383. Ask for
the brochure called Know Your Blood Sugar Numbers: The ABCs
of Testing for Blood Sugar Control.

People with diabetes
must control their blood sugar levels to prevent problems such as eye
disease, kidney disease, nerve damage, heart disease, and stroke. Here
are some tests that you should get on a regular basis. These include:

Blood
pressure checks

Date tested _________________________

Results ____________________________

Cholesterol
tests

Date tested _________________________

Results ____________________________

Other
blood fat tests (ask your doctor what tests you should have)

Type of test ________________________

Date tested ________________________

Results ____________________________

Remember, to help
control and manage your diabetes, you should also do the following:

To check for problems
that diabetes can cause, you should see your doctor or other health
care providers on a regular basis. Doing this can prevent problems or
find them early, when they can be treated and managed well.

Ask
your doctor or other health care providers about how often you should
have your:

Feet checked

Eyes tested

Kidneys tested

Ask
your doctor or other health care providers about other tests you may
also need to have:

___________________________________

___________________________________

___________________________________

___________________________________

The
following information has been taken from the National Institute of
Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Disease. All the following information
is correct to the best of our knowledge, but should not substitute for
medical care and information provided by your doctor.